Chapter 73: The First Snow at Hogwarts
For some time now, Kyle had become increasingly fascinated with nighttime activities that nurtured both body and soul. In recent weeks, he'd been sneaking out nearly every night, even more frequently than Fred and George, likely due to the twins' recent misadventure.
The pile of Mooncalf dung the twins had painstakingly gathered had, unsurprisingly, found no takers. No one in the wizarding world wanted it. The shops in Diagon Alley refused to touch it, but the twins weren't about to give up so easily. Finally, for reasons known only to them, they tried to offload it at a steep discount to Professor Sprout by bringing it to the greenhouse.
Predictably, their nighttime escapade was discovered, and the consequences were severe. Professor Sprout only needed one look to figure out the source of the droppings. With such a large quantity, it could only have come from the Forbidden Forest. And, of course, she knew well the time required to collect it. Being caught sneaking into the Forbidden Forest at night was bad enough, but flaunting it in front of her was unthinkable. This blatant provocation was too much for even the usually mild-mannered Professor Sprout. She promptly marched them to Professor McGonagall's office.
Despite their best efforts to claim they'd found the droppings near Hagrid's pumpkin patch, no one bought their story. Hagrid had been busy with other matters and hadn't tended the patch in weeks. Disappointed and angry, Professor McGonagall punished them by assigning a week's worth of bathroom cleaning. Filch even voiced his desire to move his office next to Gryffindor Tower to keep an eye on them.
However, this all worked in Kyle's favor. Once Mikel and Ryan were asleep, Kyle slipped out of bed and crept out of the common room. As usual, he wrapped his silver-green scarf around himself, drew his wand, and tapped it lightly to his forehead. "Disillusionment," he whispered.
A chill washed over him, spreading from his head down to his toes, as if he'd been doused with ice water. His body took on the color of the wall behind him—a result of the Disillusionment Charm. Kyle had been practicing this spell since his last venture into the Forbidden Forest. While he owned an Invisibility Cloak, it had limitations. Move too quickly, and your feet might stick out. The Disillusionment Charm, by comparison, was more reliable, though mastering it had taken him three days. His body's coloring wasn't as seamless as it should have been, but Hogwarts Castle was so dark at night that the imperfection barely mattered.
Once fully prepared, Kyle made his way with ease to the library door on the second floor. This was his latest nighttime haunt. He loved reading, but certain books weren't suitable for daylight. They were best savored in secret, alone, under the cover of darkness.
The library doors were shut, with a heavy brass lock between them. Kyle took out his master key and unlocked it with a single twist. He pushed one of the doors open just enough to slip inside.
The library at night was dark and eerie. "Lumos," Kyle murmured, holding his wand aloft as he navigated past the rows of shelves to the back of the library, where he stopped before a sign. "Restricted Section," it read, and Kyle couldn't help but feel the allure of the forbidden books before him.